Spring construction



Nov. 23, 1948. J. OLLA FOND SPRING CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 7, 1946 Patented Nov. 23, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING CONSTRUCTION Joseph 0. La Fond, Gardner, Mass.

Application November 7, 1946, Serial No. 708,357

1 2. Claims. 1

This invention relates to springs particularly adapted for upholstering furniture, car seats, back rests, Ottomans, etc, the springs each comprising a length of spring wire bowed centrally and having spring loops intermediate the ends thereof, with or without coils, zig-zags, or sinuous flat portions at right angles to the spring loops to form a basis for covering by padding and upbolstering material, the bowed portions of the springs providing that all parts of the springs taking weight are located above or beyond the frame to which the springs are attached.

The spring ends are down-turned and detachably set in special and novel clips, each of the latter comprising a U-shaped iron having a long and a short leg connected by a portion extending inwardly from the supporting frame, the long leg being secured to the frame at the top surface thereof by a single fastener such as a nail or the like, and the short leg depending within the frame and abutting the same at an interior surface thereof, the down-turned spring ends being located in aligned holes in the long and short legs at a point spaced inwardly from the said interior surface of the frame, whereby weights on the springs tend to spread the down-turned ends thereof apart and thus dig the free end of the short leg of the clip into and bear thereon, resulting in an improved and longer lasting construction wherein the springs cannot pull out the clips or otherwise become detached.

The objects of the invention include the provision of a spring construction as above described and having the said advantages.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a top plan View of an article of furniture provided with the new springs and clips, with the upholstery removed and with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an interior view in elevation of one of the clips showing its relation to the frame and the spring end.

A conventional frame In is shown in the drawings as supporting the springs generally indicated at l2, and it is to be understood that this frame may assume any size, shape, or construction de- Y sired, depending on the article being made. Each spring I2 is upwardly bowed, see Fig. 2, and intermediate its down-turned ends I 4, it is provided with one or more coils 16, the wire being generally tangent to the tops of the coils so that the upper edge of the spring is smooth and uninterrupted for later padding and upholstering. Each spring may be provided with cross runs it! or other coils to increase resilience and to assist in forming a combined surface for the upholstering, and the several springs may be joined and braced as usual.

The springs are each detachably anchored at each end to opposed frame members, by means of novel U-shaped clips 20. Each clip has a long leg 22 and a short leg 24, the former overlying the frame and being nailed or otherwise secured thereto as by a nail 26. The short leg 24 depends into the frame and its free end abuts the frame at an interior side surface thereof as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and both legs are provided with holes accommodating the ends M of the spring, so that the springs are merely dropped into the holes for the assembly. The clips may be of pressed metal.

It will be seen from the above that the assembly is extremely simple, as the clips are positioned by the short legs and it is only necessary to approximately correctly space the same, driving a nail or like fastener through the long leg into the frame. The springs are then dropped into the holes and the assembly is complete and ready for the padding with the exception of conventional ties or twine cross strings.

In addition to the ease of assembly and simplicity of construction, the ends of the short legs dig into or at least firmly grip the frame members to which the clips are attached, when weights are placed on the bowed portions of the springs, as the down-turned ends tend to spread under weight, and thus the spring connections cannot pull out or become detached.

.Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than is set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A spring construction for cushioned upholstered furniture or the like comprising a length of wire having a vertical coil intermediate its ends, the ends being down-turned, and a pair of spaced substantially U-shaped clips, each clip having a short and'a long leg, each long leg being secured to a support with the short leg depending into engagement with the support, the closed end of the U being spaced from the support, and vertically aligned openings in the legs between the closed end of the U and the support receiving one of said down-turned ends.

2. A spring construction for cushioned seats or 'the like having a frame, comprising a pair of 2,454,703 3 spaced generally U-shaped clips each having a REFERENCES CITED long and a short leg, said legs having aligned holes adjacent the closed end of the clip, each long leg beiug fastened to a frame member with the closed The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

en of the clip extending within the frame, and UNITED ES PATENTS ea h short leg abutting the frame at an inside su rface thereof, said holes being free and located fbg ggis 1870 inside the frame, and a. length of resilient wire 2287030 Eaton 1942 having a central upwardly bowed portion, and

down-turned ends, each down-turned end located 10 FOREIGN PATENTS in the aligned holes of one of said clips. Number Country Date 730,466 France Feb. 4, 1935 JOSEPH 0. LA FOND. 3,239 32 Australia Oct. 13, 1933 

